Castillo v. Isakov
- Lewis Liman
- 1:22-cv-06888
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 3
In Castillo v. Isakov, Judge Liman adopted the damages recommendation, awarded the plaintiffs specified damages, fees, and costs, and closed the case.
Nicholas Castillo, Armando Herrera, and Sheriddan Vasquez received the specified damages, interest, attorney’s fees, and costs; the defendants were subject to those awards and had not appeared in the action.
What happened
In Castillo v. Isakov, a magistrate judge recommended damages for Nicholas Castillo, Armando Herrera, and Sheridan Vasquez after the court had entered a default judgment. The defendants had not appeared, and no party objected to the recommendation.
The recommendation proposed different amounts for each plaintiff, including compensatory, liquidated, and statutory damages; Castillo was also recommended emotional-distress and punitive damages. It also proposed interest, $12,250 in attorney’s fees, and $402 in costs.
Judge Liman reviewed the recommendation for clear error, found none, adopted it in its entirety, awarded the plaintiffs the recommended damages, and directed the clerk to close the case.
The detailed version
- Castillo v. Isakov · No. 1:22-cv-06888
- Lewis Liman
- Jan. 14, 2025
Background
On October 12, 2023, the Court granted Plaintiffs’ motion for default judgment and referred the case to Magistrate Judge Gary Stein to determine damages. The defendants had not appeared in the action.
On December 27, 2024, Magistrate Judge Stein issued a Report and Recommendation. The parties were given fourteen days to submit written objections, but no objections were filed.
Recommended Awards
The Report and Recommendation proposed the following awards:
- Nicholas Castillo: $1,890 in compensatory damages, $1,890 in liquidated damages, $5,200 in statutory damages, $25,000 for emotional distress, and $15,000 in punitive damages; prejudgment interest at a daily rate of $0.047; and post-judgment interest at the statutory rate. - Armando Herrera: $3,215 in compensatory damages, $3,215 in liquidated damages, and $7,100 in statutory damages; prejudgment interest at a daily rate of $0.079; and post-judgment interest at the statutory rate. - Sheriddan Vasquez: $8,370 in compensatory damages, $8,370 in liquidated damages, and $10,000 in statutory damages; prejudgment interest at a daily rate of $2.06; and post-judgment interest at the statutory rate. - All plaintiffs: $12,250 in attorney’s fees and $402 in costs.
Court’s Review and Ruling
When no party objects to a magistrate judge’s report and recommendation, the district court reviews it for clear error, meaning an obvious mistake in the findings or recommendations. Judge Liman reviewed the record and the Report and Recommendation under that standard and found no clear error.
The Court ordered that the Report and Recommendation be adopted in its entirety and awarded Plaintiffs damages in the amounts stated in the recommendation. The Clerk of Court was directed to close the case.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.